Parents should turn off the cameras and automatic tracking devices in their children’s Christmas presents because of the risk of hacking, the Information Commissioners’ Office has warned.

With a rise in the number of ‘smart’ toys and devices gracing the wish list this year, parents should consider the safety of them being connected directly to the internet before giving them as gifts, according to the data regulator.

When adults are not going to personally use cameras in toys to view what is happening remotely then they should consider turning the function off all together, Deputy Commissioner Steve Wood said.

The warning comes amid growing concerns about the ability of criminals to hack into toys containing sensors, microphones, cameras, data storage and other multi-media capabilities.

In a blog on the regulators website Mr Wood wrote: “You wouldn’t knowingly give a child a dangerous toy, so why risk buying them something that could be easily hacked into by strangers?

“In the same way that safety standards are a primary consideration for shoppers buying toys, we want those buying connected items in the coming weeks to take a pause and think about both the child’s online safety, and also the potential threat to their own personal data such as bank details, if a toy, device or a supporting app is hacked into.

Parents are advised that they should ensure that they are buying products from a reputable source, that all passwords and usernames are changed from the default option and to use two-step identification where available.

Mr Wood continued: “Some toys and devices are fitted with web cameras. The ability to view footage remotely is both their biggest selling point and, if not set up correctly, potentially their biggest weakness, as the baby monitor hacking issue of a few years ago demonstrated.

“If you have no intention of viewing footage over the internet, then turn the remote viewing option off in the device’s settings, or else use strong, non-default passwords.”

He added: “One of the main selling points of children’s smart watches is the ability for parents to know where their children are at all times. However, if this isn’t done securely, then others might have access to this data as well. Immediately get rid of default location tracking and GPS settings and set strong, unique passwords.”

Parents are also advised to turn off Bluetooth or set strong passwords to protect their child’s data from hackers.

The Deputy Commissioner concluded: “If you aren’t convinced a smart toy or connected/wearable device will keep your children or your personal information safe, then don’t buy it. If consumers reject products that won’t protect them, then developers and retailers should soon get the message.”

To Purchase This Product/Services, Go To The Store Link Above Or Go To http://www.become007.com/store/ A Sarasota foundation has earmarked a $1 million grant to fund a partnership between Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and the All Star Children’s Foundation to develop a program aimed at …

Author Vivek Sharya told The Huffington Post that while there is a growing market for books that feature the lives and stories of gender-creative kids, few of these cater to the experiences of brown children.

Does your young child know their colors? Can they sing the alphabet song? Can they count their toys when you line them up in a row?

But more importantly, does any of that matter?

Children are good at memorizing and mimicking whatever they hear. They will be able to sing the alphabet song if they have heard it enough times. They will be able to identify colors if quizzed on it often enough. But how often are we focusing on these “tricks” to make us feel like our children are brilliant instead of focusing on the less tangible skills that will have more of an impact on their future.

A local entertainer and Cub Scout volunteer known as “Chex the Balloon Guy” is now facing child pornography charges.

Chex the Balloon Guy’s car is still stilling in front of his Akron apartment. He’s not home. Chex, an 80-year-old balloon artist who’s also known as Paul Schuler, is locked up. He’s accused of having hundreds of dirty pictures of children inside his home.

“You’re talking 400 pictures or paraphernalia that is child-porn related,” State Police Trooper Jim O’Callaghan said. “We never want a person like this in direct contact with children, especially when children are approaching him as a safe person.”

The Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana on Wednesday received a $50,000 community grant from UnitedHealthcare to help support teen parents and improve pregnancy outcomes for Louisiana teens.

The grant will help improve teen pregnancy outcomes through the school site, Jus4Me, which places the evidence-based “Nurturing Skills for Teen Parents” at the heart of a weekly site-based program for pregnant teens and teen parents.

The project will serve pregnant teens in Ouachita, Union and Madison parishes, and will be located in four high schools.

UnitedHealthcare representatives gave the grant funding to the Children’s Coalition on Wednesday during a ceremony at Carroll High School.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 15 percent of Louisiana’s babies are born before term, the second-highest rate in the nation compared to the national average of 11.

A paedophile church leader was caught breaking a 10-year ban on working at children’s events – after setting himself up as a family-friendly party entertainer.

Former pastor Ceri John Rees, 35, has been working as kids’ entertainer DJ Phoenix at caravan parks despite previously being jailed for having sex with an underage girl.

Rees was sentenced to four years in prison in 2010. The then married father of three had been a pastor in Lower Cwmtwrch, in the Swansea Valley, when he carried out a string of sex assaults on a teenager.

He was convicted of 14 offences, including sexual activity with a child, making a child watch sexual activity and making and taking indecent child images after police found 187 images of the girl.

A married couple from Eagle, Idaho, entrusted as house parents at the Children’s Christian Ranch in Eagle, have been arrested and charged with the felony sexual abuse of two young girls that were under their care at the facility. Police in Eagle said that the molested girls, ages 14 and 17, were part of a group home for homeless and at-risk children, according to an August 17 report from the Associated Press carried by KUTV.

Charged with the girls’ felony sexual abuse are Michael Paul Magill, 30, and Jennifer Nicole Magill, 32, both of Eagle.